Gender Discrimination

In Illinois, a company may not terminate or otherwise take an adverse job action against an employee because of the sex of the employee. A companies policies and employment rules must be applied equally to all employees. Policies and employment rules which have a disproportionately adverse impact on one sex are strictly prohibited under both Illinois and Federal law.

  • Do you work harder than your male counterparts?
  • Do you putting in more hours than your male counterparts?
  • Are you getting paid less than your male counterparts?
  • Do you have the same or more education than your male counterparts?

Below is a list of U.S. Supreme Court cases involving gender discrimination and women's rights.

  • Cleveland Bd. of Ed. V. LaFleur (1974)
    Found that Ohio public school rules regarding pregnancy violate the United States Constitution.  The rules were related to what a teacher and could not do regarding pregnancy leave.
  • Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (1986)
    Found that a claim of "hostile environment" sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that may be brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • Johnson v. Transportation Agency (1987)
    The Court decides that a county (or employer) may take into account an employees gender as one factor when deciding whether or not to promote an employee. The Court held that taking into account the gender does not violate the United States Constitution as long as other factors are considered.
  • Faragher v. City of Boca Raton (1998)
    The United States Supreme Court says in order to be liable an employer in a sexual harassment case the employer's conduct, as well as the reasonableness of the plaintiff victim's conduct should be taken into consideration by a Court.
  • Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education (1999)
    Held that a lawsuit may be filed against a school board based on student-on-student sexual harassment, if the board is deliberately indifferent to sexual harassment, has actual knowledge of the harassment, and the harassment is so serious that it deprives the victims of access to the educational opportunities or benefits provided by the school.
Sometimes in order to prove gender discrimination I may have to obtain a company's gender profile.  All employers with more than 100 employees must prepare and file an EEO-1 report.  An EEO-1 report is a numerical breakdown of the way women and other minorities are employed in the workplace in various job categories. 
If the company has less than 100 employees as part of my discovery I will obtain information on the employees and prepare my own report which is similar in nature to an EEO-1 report.  These documents are valuable in showing a disparity in pay or work positions for females and other minorities.

Learn whether your employer has violated Title VII or other federal and state laws by contacting attorney Peter LaSorsa today.  Also you can learn more by visiting my Blog.

E-mail your question about SEX DISCRIMINATION.

You may call 24/7:
Peter LaSorsa, Attorney at Law
Proudly Practicing Discrimination Law in Illinois
Phone: 309-712-1145 or 312-505-5038

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Illinois Sexual Harassment Attorney Blog - Gender Discrimination